Man’s angry rant as he accuses blind Sheffield woman of being able to see after she asks for seat on bus

After losing her sight five years ago, Janiece Wallace has had to relearn how to navigate Sheffield. She has had to overcome barriers such as advertising boards, concrete bollards and street furniture.

Walking through Sheffield city centre, she told us some of the difficulties and shared how things have been put in place to help people with sight issues. Mrs Wallace makes use of tactiles, ridged paving which can be picked up by her white stick and alert her to things such as crossing points and tram stops.

“Nobody knows about it, I didn’t know what it was for before,” she said of the tactiles. Mrs Wallace can also make use of aids on everyday objects in public, such as a small cone underneath the boxes at pedestrian crossings. When the traffic light goes red, the cone starts spinning, which she can feel to know it’s safe to cross.

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A recent addition are speakers at bus stops, which let blind people know that a bus is coming. “I think that they’re great,” Mrs Wallace said. Most bus drivers are trained to stop when they see you with a white cane.

“But sometimes if no one else is at the bus stop, because you don’t put your hand out, the driver might just go straight past you. So it’s good to know that, if I’m getting on an 82 bus, I know it’s coming in two minutes!”

Janiece Wallace has opened up about how she navigates Sheffield as a blind person

Mrs Wallace is a member of the Access Liaison Group, part of Disability Sheffield, which is consulted by the council when major changes take place in the city. However, she has still faced difficulties making her way around the city.